Vacation!

Getting ready for vacation with two kids is quite the challenge. We made a number of lists - things to pack for the kids, things to pack for us, and things we needed to remember to do before leaving Saturday morning! Of course, the kids were excited, especially Nora, which made things even more challenging. There were also the challenges of fitting 4 of us and all the gear into the Camry! We were pretty tightly packed in for the road trip.

The drive up to Harrison Maine went pretty smoothly. We ended up leaving a tad later than we originally planned, so we opted to stop in Portsmouth for lunch at the Portsmouth Brewing Company. The girls were both very well behaved, and the Portsmouth Brewing company is a very family friendly restaurant.

We got to the lake house ("camp") on Saturday around 4:15pm. We got the kids out, unpacked and set everything up as quickly as possible. Another trick to renting a house you can't get into until 4pm with kids - we usually eat dinner around 5:30 and the kids are in bed around 7:30! For the most part, everything went smoothly. We got Nora set up in one room and put the pack and play in our room for Beth. Of course, we didn't unpack or even remember to grab out pajamas out of our room, so Andy and I ended up crashing in our clothing for the night. We did not have room darkening curtains so the kids woke up pretty early. We had a wonderful view in our living room of the morning sun rising on the lake.

The yard of the house we were staying in was not overly kid friendly. There was a nice set of stairs down to the water - which Nora could handle with only a little help. However, there wasn't really a safe place to put Beth down. We did find that the town beach - a two minute drive - was a wonderful place for kids! Sandy beach, swings, play structure and a little dock typically used for swim lessons, but opened for everyone on the weekends. Unfortunately, the town beach closed for a few days because of a bad water test reading. We went to Sebago Lake state park and enjoyed the water there. We also spend a day at Diana's Baths in North Conway. Nora loved wading in the (icy cold) water there! One afternoon, we went to a Bison farm and Nora got to see and touch a yearling Bison! That was pretty exciting.

Beth exploring the cabinets in the kitchen



Nora on the bar stool. Her favorite place to be - she could see, and "control" everything that happened in the house.

Storytime with Grandma. I think this was a favorite everyday!

Just a photo of Beth crawling around.

She got a little to close in this photo, but it's a great shot of her eyes (and teeth!).


Wading with Grandma in the lake at the house.


Having a bit of quiet time in the library. It was hot, and Nora was very tired!

An attempt at a family shot at diana's baths.

Beth didn't like the cold water at Diana's Baths. Nora loved wading though!



Nora wishing for a paddle. She really wanted her own paddle and her own blue kayak!


All alone in the sand at Sebago.

Lots of water to ourselves when we first arrived at Sebago. Once the daycare and summer camps arrived, the place was loaded with kids!



Beth sitting in the Ergo while I tried to get an in-focus shot of Nora and Andy in the kayak. The smirk was because she was just about to pull my hair.

Beth enjoyed the slide

Swinging side by side!